6 Ways to Protect Your Alcohol License from Suspension
If you are the owner of any establishment that sells alcohol, you then must know that obtaining a liquor license is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to alcohol compliance. Protecting your establishment from license suspension is another, much more vital, part of your role as owner.
It must be noted that every state and local jurisdiction has slightly different laws when it comes to the sale and distribution of age-restricted products like alcohol. To make sure you’re up to speed on your local laws, talk to a lawyer and do a deep dive into your state’s code.
In this blog, we’ll lay out the top 6 reasons your alcohol license could be put at risk and how to avoid suspension with Stinger Compliance.
#1 Serving to minors
Here in the United States, underage drinking is considered a “significant public health problem” as it is “responsible for more than 3,900 deaths and 225,000 years of potential life lost among people under age 21 each year.” (CDC).
Drinking or possessing alcohol while being underage is a serious offense in every US state. Additionally, selling or furnishing alcohol to a minor can incur huge penalties to individuals and establishments alike.
The solution sounds simple – checking identification. This is the most straightforward way to prevent legal action against your establishment and your employees, but it doesn’t always solve the problem of underage drinking.
To crack down on underage drinking, owners should train employees to spot fake IDs in communities with large underage populations. University towns, unfortunately, are some of the most at risk of alcohol compliance negligence. Owners of establishments in many of the country’s hot spots for binge drinking should be on alert and ensure their employees are covered when it comes to alcohol compliance.
#2 Serving customers to the point of visible intoxication
If your clientele gets a little rowdy, you could violate your liquor license requirements. Any activities that “disturb the peace” or put others in harm's way due to negligence is an issue for the community and could be a strike against those restaurant and bar owners.
The best way to prevent this kind of activity is to refuse service to any intoxicated or violent patrons. This requires extreme vigilance on the part of your employees and management. Also, having a bouncer to check incoming customers are not intoxicated is a great way to prevent over-serving in high-volume areas.
#3 Allowing employees under the age of 21 to serve alcohol
While most states allow employees to sell alcohol beginning at the age of 18, many states and counties stipulate the employee must be 21 years or older. Laws can differ across restaurants, bars, breweries, golf courses, packaged goods retailers, and the like. Make sure you’re reading the fine print of the state and local laws concerning age-restricted products.
#4 Allowing employees to drink during their shifts
Allowing employees to drink erroneously prepared drinks or take a shot with their regulars should be strictly prohibited if keeping your liquor license is important to you. This can be an issue with big repercussions if not dealt with by the establishment’s management.
#5 Letting customers drink in areas that are not licensed
During the pandemic, many restaurants and bars opened patios for outdoor and distanced dining. These exceptions during the pandemic may not go on forever, and restaurant and bar owners need to understand what areas are covered by their liquor licenses.
Does your area have an open container law that allows boozy shopping, or is it strictly enforced that alcohol is consumed on the premises? Be sure to check your area’s local laws and the fine print of your liquor license!
#6 Serving alcohol after the cut-off time
It may differ from city to city, and from one type of establishment to another, but it is important to understand the times in which your alcohol license permits the sale of alcohol. Do local laws cut off the sale of alcohol at midnight, 2 am, 3 am, or later?
Additionally, states like Georgia have special considerations for the sale of alcohol on Sundays, election days, and Christmas holidays. Happy Hours are also often regulated by local law, and serving discounted drinks outside of those hours puts your liquor license at risk.
Why Stingers?
As we’ve seen, each state has its distinct local regulations regarding the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and other age-restricted products. As the owner of any establishment selling age-restricted products like alcohol, compliance with local and federal regulations must be top of mind.
That’s where Stinger Compliance can help!
Stinger Compliance is a secret shopper service that ensures compliance with local regulations when it comes to the sale of age-restricted products like alcohol and tobacco. To ensure alcohol safety, our secret shoppers order a drink and report your establishment’s compliance via a mobile application. Outside of the ID Check, we offer additional bar-related secret shopping,
sometimes called 'bar spotting' services. Our stingers will report on various compliance questions like:
Did your server check your ID?
Did your bartender drink behind the bar?
Did you notice the overpouring of drinks?
Did you see any intoxicated clientele?
How long did it take for you to receive your order?
And more!
Stinger Compliance is a trusted partner that shines a light on the areas where you might be at risk. This provides insight to management on which areas may require re-training for staff members. With regularly scheduled stings, establishment owners can see the improvements in alcohol compliance and company policy practices over time.
Ready to schedule your first sting?! Create a free account or reach out to our sales team for more information.
